Approach for scratches

[techy101]

I was hoping for some help on how to approach some deeper and stubborn scratches/marks on my car. Over the last year I've moved on to working with a DA polisher and while I've been learning a lot, I'm still quite green. I have been successful in removing swirls but haven't had any luck on decreasing the visibility of a few spots.

The car is a dark blue 2007 Audi A6. You can see white in a couple of the scratches which I think means they're down into the primer. For those, is it possible to work them to make them less visible?

The second real trouble spot has been in the door pulls. All four of them have significant scratching and scuffing. I've had no luck trying to get them out by hand and would appreciate some pointers.

Thus far I've been working with Meguiar's Ultimate Compound as it has seemed pretty safe. I did just put in an order for some Blackfire SRC compound but haven't had a chance to try it.

Anywho, here are some pictures. They're not the best but hopefully are good enough to construe the damage.

Thanks

 

[LEDetailing]

In my opinion none of those scratches appear to be deep enough to be through the clear and base/color coat. Just my opinion, not saying you are not right.

You may need to increase your aggressiveness in your compound. I like the effectiveness of Menzerna FG 400, however this was using a rotary. You could try Megs M105, haven't used myself but I've heard good things.

I just acquired smaller 1&2 inch backing plates and pads for my rotary. These pads paired with an extension would be a perfect application (door pulls). I used to polish out (by hand) fingernail scratches with 3M fine cut compound with cotton terry cloth. This worked on 80-90% of the minor nail scratches. Nice part about hand polishing is you have almost zero chance of screwing something up. Hand polishing with compounds gives you a good appreciation of the heat and friction created by machines. Never used infrared thermometer, but with terry and compound you can really feel the heat when being aggressive.

You could just wait and order the soon to be released Rupes nano polisher I want one so bad, but the price for a hobbyist is not in the cards right now.

Good luck

 

[TTQ B4U]

Did you hit those with a DA and Ultimate Compound already? If not, those don't look bad at all. Should come out without issue. Lean into it a bit with an small orange pad and the above and then hit it with polish. The only one that "might" need some more work to it is the RID to the left above the handle.

If you've already worked let us know.

 

[techy101]

Possibly a stupid question, but can you use different size pads on a DA? I've got the Griot's 6" and have been wondering if I can put the 3" pad on it...

 

[GSKR]

Some of those scratches will require some rotary work or a little damp sanding .Src is a great product use it all the time.you may need something more of a bite for those when working with a da especially on Audi paint.

 

[TTQ B4U]

Possibly a stupid question, but can you use different size pads on a DA? I've got the Griot's 6" and have been wondering if I can put the 3" pad on it...

I'm sure the Griots can accomodate it. I don't own one to say for sure. I have a Porter Cable and Shurhold. I use the PC for my smaller backing plate work.